Ryohei Murayama

Ryohei Murayama (村山 龍平)

• Born April 3, 1850 in Watarai-gun, Mie
• Died November 24, 1933

Biographical Information

Ryohei Murayama was president of the Asahi Shimbun; in that role, he started the National Middle School Baseball Championship in 1915 (later renamed the National High School Baseball Championship). He threw out the first pitch of the first tournament. The event would quickly become a major event in Japan and remained so during the next century. He was also elected to Japan's House of Representatives (first in 1891) and House of Lords (first in 1930). In the 2015 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame Election, he was inducted alongside catcher Atsuya Furuta and fellow organizer Kazuo Hayashi.

Main Source: Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame